Xbox 360News for - October 8, 2008
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  Frontlines: Fuel of War (X360) (via gamespy) - THQ seems to think it has something pretty special in Frontlines: Fuel of War, and after playing through the first few levels and logging a bit of multiplayer time, we remain optimistic that the company's enthusiasm might just be justified. While the graphics aren't particularly spectacular (appearing to be about on par with Blacksite: Area 51), both the well-researched future fiction plotline and a couple of interesting tweaks to the standard FPS game mechanics have us intrigued. | |
 5 Things Grand Theft Auto IV May Have (via GameGuru) -- GameGuru: "GTA IV is probably going to redefine gaming for the nth time, so here's a lowdown of the things that might make it to the final version." Check out the list and see what you think... | |
 First in-game LEGO Batman images (via sylphys.ddo.jp) -- Warner has just revealed three small in-game images of the upcoming LEGO Batman game. LEGO Batman is planned for a release at the end of 2008 on Xbox 360, Playstation 2 & 3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. | |
 Molyneux to Unveil (via NEXT) - Peter Molyneux, who revealed a lovable canine companion in Fable 2 at GDC 2007, will be speaking more about the RPG during his talk, "Fable 2: The Big Three Features Revealed." Fable 2 is slated for a 2008 release. According to a blog post by GDC executive director Jamil Moledina, Molyneaux "will present the design concepts live, in-game, to provide the level of proof one gets from a traditional GDC postmortem. | |
Frontlines dev denies FPS fatigue (via Videogamer) - Luis Cataldi, art director at Frontlines developer Kaos Studios does not believe that xbox 360 gamers are currently suffering from FPS fatigue. He believes the high number of critically acclaimed first-person shooter games that have come out in 2007, like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 and BioShock, has instead "created more of an appetite". | |
 Why Doesn't Xbox LIVE Have Age Matching? (via Kotaku) - Mark Wilson of Kotaku writes: "Last night I signed on LIVE for a little Team Fortress 2 fun. You see, after Mass Effect dropped, I blacked out for a few weeks. When I woke, aside from realizing that a monkey had written my posts for some time (the experiment was a success, btw), that Orange Box was sorely in need of some attention. | |
 Titles in development they don't want you to know about (via Games Radar) -- There are some seriously anticipated sequels in the works right now. GamesRadar does a good job of previewing these new sequels. Gear of War 2, GRAW 3, Hitman 5, and many more. | |
 Tiberium Command & Conquer FPS game announced (via VIDEOGAMESBLOGGER) -- News from Game Informer magazine that Electronic Arts are working on a Command & Conquer FPS game called "Tiberium", it will be available on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. You will play Ricardo Vega, a formerly retired GDI field commander, 11 years after the end of the third Tiberium war. | |
 NCAA March Madness 08 Ships to Stores Today (via GTR) -- Electronic Arts Inc. announced that EA SPORTS NCAA: March Madnessn08 ships to retailers today in North America, delivering a college basketball experience that captures the emotion, intensity and atmosphere of a real college basketball game. | |
 Mass Effect Sells 1M in 3 Weeks (via 1up) -- RPGs can be somewhat of a niche genre, and new intellectual properties are an even harder sale. As such, expectations for BioWare's latest epic Mass Effect were reasonably subdued, despite the large marketing push. | |
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 Manhunt 2 Will now Be Released in the UK (via BBC) -- The Decision to ban Rockstar's Manhunt 2 has been overturned by the BBFC, the equivalent of the ESRB in America. The Decision comes after an appeal made by Rockstar and means it could be on the shelves in the UK by Christmas. | |
GameCock Apologizes for Spike TV Incident (via 1up) - GameCock is known for getting its message out in some pretty wild ways, and Sunday's Spike TV Video Game Awards the GameCock M.O. went a step too far when they stole the spotlight from Ken Levine as he accepted the Game of the Year award for BioShock. If you read our own Sam Kennedy's blog about the | |
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 Fix Your Rock Band Drums! (via OXM) -- After playing through about three weeks worth of Rock Band nearly non-stop, the staff of OXM's drumset had a pad go pad. Instead of trying to warranty it they take it a part and show you how they fixed the problem. | |
 Now Playing! Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store Comes to Canada (via xbox.com) -- Many Xbox 360 owners in Canada has been anxiously waiting for the Video Store on Xbox Live Marketplace. Here is an interview with Scott Nocas, Global Marketing Manager, Xbox LIVE with Microsoft in Redmond, and he discusses the Canadian video marketplace. | |
 Why Can I Only Have 100 Friends? (via 1up) - Here is the "offical" response given to 1up from Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg. "I think it's something we definitely want to do and something we're looking at doing in the future, but it's been more technically complicated than anyone anticipated, so it's taking longer than we had hoped. | |
 Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack (via Major Nelson) - Content: Halo 3 Heroic Map PackPrice: 800 Microsoft PointsAvailability: Not available in IndiaDash Text: The Heroic map pack contains three new maps, each presenting a totally different play style. Standoff’s symmetrical valley, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types, while Rat’s Nest’s vast, labyrinthine passages bring something quite new to the Halo multiplayer experience – an indoor vehicle paradise, strongly influenced by the Campaign mode ideal for big team battles. | |
 Rock Band Content Punk Pack (via Major Nelson) - Content: Punk Pack 01Price: 440 PointsAvailability: United StatesDash Text: Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this game song track pack, which includes: "I Fought the Law"--The Clash, "Rockaway Beach"--the Ramones, and "Ever Fallen in Love," which is a cover of a song made famous by Buzzcocks. | |
 Online games can expose children to racist bullies (via TV3) - As Christmas approaches and parents begin to succumb to their children's demands for the latest video games, there is a warning that online games can bring obscene bullying and racism into your home. Modern video game systems such as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have online playability with a voice function which allows users to say whatever they like to each other in real time. | |
 US Army Sponsors Halo 3 Tournament to Help Recruitment? (via Gemaga) - A press release from Microsoft's game came out today with the following title: Microsoft and U.S. Army Present First Ever "Halo 3" Championship Tournament on Xbox LIVE. When you read a little further this paragraph appears: "To further ensure that players are trained to the top of their games, the Army is also hosting a Destination Experience blade on Xbox LIVE. | |
 IBM to Have 32nm Chips Available in 2009 (via EETimes) - IBM announced that their next-generation 32nm devices will be available in the second half of 2009. IBM and its partners have been able to shrink the size of a chip by up to 50 percent as compared with the 45-nm devices, which are not yet in volume production. The 45nm devices are expected to start ramping at the end of first quarter 2008. | |
 This Week XBLA: Arkadian Warriors and GripShift (via xbox.com) - Two arcade titles this week: Arkadian Warriors and GripShift will be available for 800 points each. Arkadian Warriors -- Define your legacy. Awaken your inner beast. Fight as one of the three powerful warriors of Artemis as you confront Gorgon herself in Arkadian Warriors. | |
 Lost the Video Game Due in 2008 from Ubisoft (via Ubisoft) -- One of the most popular television shows of all, Lost, will be getting its own video game. Set for release set for Q1 in 2008 from Ubisoft. The website for the game is now up where you can watch a preview of the game. | |
 2K Announces Don King Boxing Game for 360, DS, and Wii (via 1up) - 2K Games announced its brand new boxing game Don King Presents: Prizefighter. The game is expected to ship for the 360, DS, and Wii (and possibly others, though 2K's not saying) in the spring of 2008. Prizefighter is said to provide the deepest boxing experience yet with a documentary-style approach to its presentation. | |
 Prototype (via GTR) -- Hot off the presses, is Sierra's newest release; Prototype. Anyone who saw the VGA's this Sunday evening saw the world premiere trailer for this game. The game looks crazy good. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint. | |
Games of 2008 - Xbox 360 Hype List (via 360WTF) - Typically, the Winter and Spring seasons are a slow time for the videogame industry. Not in 2008. The sheer number of high profile titles that got pushed from Fall 07 to Winter/Spring 08 is amazing. There is surely a lot that we don't even know about yet, but there are still more than 60 huge | |
 Spike TV Announces 2007 'Video Game Awards' Winners (via prnewswire) - Winners were announced tonight for Spike TV's 5th annual "Video Game Awards," the preeminent celebration of achievement in the gaming world. Talent from across the entertainment world gathered at the Mandalay Bay Events Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to honor the year's accomplishments within the video game community. | |
 Real life Criminals Appearing in Games (via Games Radar) -- Characters famous from TV, Movies or other mediums who have criminal records are appearing in Video Games. No doubt this will give those who like to rant about video games being the work of the devil more fuel for their fire. | |
 Bioshock gets even Bigger (via Kikizo) - Some Xbox 360 owners who bought this summer's hit shooter BioShock were dismayed to discover that the widescreen image displayed on the console was actually a cropped version of the full-screen view, meaning that they were seeing less than those with regular-dimension screens. | |
